Identification device and method for manufacturing thereof

ABSTRACT

Device for identifying articles such as animals, comprising a male part and a female part, which male part comprises an arrow-shaped element and which female part is provided with a passage with a front end and a rear end, wherein the arrow-shaped element can be inserted into the passage along the front end, wherein the passage is provided close to the front end with at least one protruding element, and wherein the passage is partly closed close to the rear end by a closing part, wherein the partly closed passage, including the protruding element, are manufactured integrally from a hard material; method for manufacturing such a device.

The present invention relates to a device for identifying articles suchas animals, comprising a male part and a female part, which male partcomprises an arrow-shaped element and which female part is provided witha passage with a front end and a rear end, wherein the arrow-shapedelement can be inserted into the passage along the front end and whereinthe passage is provided close to the front end with at least oneprotruding element. The invention further relates to a female part foruse in such a device, to a method for manufacturing the female part ofsuch a device, wherein the female part is manufactured by injectionmoulding using a multipart mould, and to a method for arranging anelectronic transponder comprising at least one electronic component andan antenna winding in a part of hard plastic material.

Such devices are for instance described in EP 0 941 656, EP 1 161 139and EP 0 639 942. In general the existing devices have the drawback ofbeing relatively heavy, since the female part, which must be quitestrong, is constructed from a plurality of components. Furthermore, theknown embodiments are generally not fully fraud-proof or tamper-proof,wherein tamper-proof is specified in different ear tag regulations as:“the ear tag must display visible signs of any attempt at fraud”.

EP 0 639 942 shows in the figures an ear tag of the type stated in thepreamble with a female part with a passage, the rear end of which iswholly open.

The invention has for its object to provide a device and method of thetype stated in the preamble, which device has a low weight and istamper-proof, and which methods are easy to carry out.

The invention provides for this purpose a device which is distinguishedin that the passage is partly closed close to the rear end by a closingpart, wherein the partly closed passage, including the protrudingelement, are manufactured integrally from a hard material. In thismanner the arrow-shaped element can be inserted into the passage via thefront end of the passage, wherein the at least one protruding element,as seen in the direction from the front end to the rear end of thepassage, will engage behind the tip part of the arrow-shaped element andin this manner prevent removal of the arrow-shaped element back alongthe front end. Because the passage is partly closed near the rear end,it will not be possible either to remove the arrow-shaped element alongthis rear end, such that a tamper-proof device is obtained which cannotbe reused. By manufacturing the passage, including the protrudingelement, integrally a relatively light device can moreover be obtained.

The hard material from which the device is manufactured is preferably ahard plastic such as acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA) orpolycarbonate (PC). Any other suitable hard material, such as aluminium,does however also lie within the scope of the invention.

If the device is used as an ear tag for animals, according to a possibleembodiment the female part then weighs less than 3 grammes. There aredifferent national regulations wherein a maximum weight for the ear tagsis set for different types of animal. By keeping the weight of thefemale part as low as possible, it is possible to meet theserequirements for the different types of animal. For pigs for instance, amaximum weight of only 4 grammes is permitted for piglets for the wholeear tag (male and female part). For cattle this maximum weight is 12grammes. This is particularly important for animals in which the ear tagis already arranged at a very young age.

In the case that the device is used as an ear tag for animals, themaximum diameter of the arrow-shaped element is further preferably equalto or greater than the diameter of the passage, such that the ear tagretains an anvil effect during tagging so as to prevent crushing of theear tissue.

According to a possible embodiment, the female part is substantiallydisc-shaped, wherein the passage is arranged substantially centrally onthe disc. This is an advantageous design which is particularly suitablefor ear tags.

According to a further feature of the invention, an electronictransponder comprising at least one electronic component and an antennawinding is incorporated in the female part. In this manner a codecoupled to the ear tag can be programmed in the electronic component andread in simple manner using an electronic reader. Such an electronictransponder is for instance described in EP 0 941 656.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, two or moreprotruding elements are arranged close to the front end, spreadregularly along the periphery of the passage. It is further recommendedthat the perpendicular projections of the protruding parts and of theclosing part onto a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction ofthe passage substantially do not overlap each other. As will further befound from the figure description, this has considerable advantages inthe performing of the method according to the invention, particularly inrespect of the design of the mould components.

The method according to the invention is distinguished in that

a first mould component is provided with a size and shape smaller thanthose of the passage for forming, wherein the cross-section is smallerthan or equal to the smallest cross-section of the passage;

a second mould component is arranged above the first mould component,which component has a lower part which together with the first mouldcomponent has substantially the shape and size of the passage, and anupper part which together with the top side of the first mould componentbounds a space for the closing part;

hard material is arranged around these mould components by injectionmoulding in order to form the passage of the female part;

the first mould component is removed along the front end of the passage;

the second mould component is removed along the rear end of the passage.

As will be elucidated in detail on the basis of the exemplary embodimentof FIGS. 8A-8C, this method allows a device according to the inventionto be made from a hard plastic material, wherein it is particularlypossible to integrally manufacture the passage with the protruding partson one side and the closing part on the other side by injectionmoulding.

Note that this method is particularly intended for manufacturing afemale part from a hard plastic material. For manufacture of a femalepart from a soft plastic material, such as for instance thermoplasticpolyurethane (TPU), it would after all be possible to suffice with onemould component having the shape and size of the passage without asecond mould component being necessary. This will be further elucidatedwith reference to FIGS. 7A-7C.

According to a preferred embodiment of the method according to theinvention, the form and size of the first mould component resembles asclosely as possible that of the first passage, but the at least oneprotruding part and the first mould component, as seen in a projectiononto a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the passage,do not overlap each other. In this way the first mould component can beremoved without problem along the front end of the passage.

It is further recommended that the lower part of the second mouldcomponent and the closing part, as seen in the projection onto a planeperpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the passage, do notoverlap each other. In this way the second mould component can beremoved without problem along the rear end of the passage.

According to a further developed embodiment, an electronic transpondercomprising at least one electronic component and an antenna winding isarranged prior to the injection moulding in a space bounded by themultipart mould, into which space hard material is injected. Theelectronic transponder is preferably held by mould pins which retractduring the injection moulding. In this manner a female partincorporating an electronic transponder can be manufactured in oneprocess from hard plastic material.

Finally, the present invention relates to a method for arranging anelectronic transponder comprising at least one electronic component andan antenna winding in a part of hard plastic material, wherein a plasticmaterial is injected around the transponder in order to form a layerwhich fully encloses the transponder, wherein this plastic material ischosen such that a firm connection to the hard plastic of the partresults. In this way the electronic transponder is completely isolatedfrom outside influences and secured in the female part in completelyimmobile manner.

According to a preferred embodiment the transponder is fixed, prior tothe injection, against a surface of the part of hard plastic, forinstance by clamping, gluing or covering with an optionallyself-adhesive foil plate, whereafter the plastic material is injectedagainst this surface.

The plastic material can be a hard plastic or a soft plastic, such asthermoplastic polyurethane, wherein the only condition is that thisplastic material forms a good connection with the hard plastic of thepart.

According to a possible embodiment, the electronic transponder is heldby mould pins which retract during the injection moulding of the part ofhard plastic, such that the whole part is injected from a hard plasticin one phase.

According to a possible embodiment of the method which is particularlysuitable for an ear tag for animals, the part of hard plastic materialhas a substantially disc-shaped body which is provided substantially inthe centre with a passage for receiving an arrow-shaped element, whereinthe transponder is arranged in the disc-shaped body.

According to a further developed embodiment of this method, adisc-shaped surface with a peripheral edge and an inner edge is providedfor the transponder, between which peripheral edge and inner edge thematerial is injected in order to form the disc-shaped body in which thetransponder is incorporated.

The invention will be further elucidated on the basis of a number ofexemplary embodiments of the device and methods according to theinvention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A shows an embodiment of a device according to the invention fixedto the ear of a pig;

FIG. 1B shows a female part of an embodiment of a device according tothe invention;

FIGS. 1C and 1D show two possible embodiments of a male part of a deviceaccording to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows two other possible embodiments of the arrow-shaped elementof the male part of the device according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1B as seen fromthe rear end;

FIG. 4 shows the embodiment of FIG. 3 in section along line IV-IV;

FIG. 5A is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 4;

FIGS. 5B and 5C show top views of two other possible variants of thefemale part of the device according to the invention;

FIG. 6A is a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 4;

FIGS. 6B and 6C are bottom views of two other possible variants of thefemale part of a device according to the invention;

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate the method for manufacturing a cavity in a femalepart from soft material, as according to the prior art;

FIGS. 8A-8C illustrate an embodiment of the method for manufacturing acavity in a female part of a device according to the invention;

FIGS. 9 and 10 show perspective views of an embodiment of the secondmould component for use in the method according to the invention;

FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the first mouldcomponent for use in the method according to the invention;

FIG. 12 shows a cross-section through the first mould component close tothe front end of the passage of the embodiment of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of a part of hard plastic material witha surface against which a transponder is fixed.

The embodiments of the device according to the invention illustrated inthe figures are specifically intended as ear tag for animals, moreparticularly small and large ruminants, pigs and other utility animals,but the skilled person will understand that analogous devices can beused just as well to identify other types of article.

FIGS. 1A-1D show an embodiment of the device for an application as eartag for an animal.

FIG. 1B shows a female ear tag part 1 provided with a passage 2 having afront end 3 and a rear end 4. FIG. 1C shows a male part 5 of the ear tagwhich comprises an arrow-shaped element 6 to which is connected aplate-like element 7, on which plate-like element 7 can be arrangedidentification data.

FIG. 1D shows a second embodiment of male part 5 which is particularlysuitable for pigs.

Passage 2 of female ear tag part 1 is provided at its front end 3 withthree protruding parts 8, 8′, 8″, as can be seen more clearly in FIG. 3.Close to rear end 4 the passage 2 is partly closed off by a closing part9 which is more clearly visible in FIG. 4.

For fixing of the ear tag to the ear of an animal, the tip part 10 ofarrow-shaped element 6 is pressed along the front end 3 into passage 2until the tip part is situated behind protruding parts 8, 8′, 8″, asseen in the direction from the front end to the rear end of passage 2.These protruding parts 8, 8′, 8″ form stops for the rear side 11 of tippart 10, whereby tip part 10 cannot be taken back out of the passage. Ifan attempt were made to remove male part 5 from female part 1, the malepart 5 would then break at the position of stem 12 of arrow-shapedelement 6 and tip part 10 would remain behind in female part 1. Norfurthermore can this tip part 10 be removed along the rear end ofpassage 2, since this rear end is closed off by closing part 9. In thismanner a fraud-proof or so-called “tamper-proof” ear tag is obtained,whereby reuse of either the female part or the male part is madeimpossible.

Further note that, since closing part 9 only partly closes the rear end4 of the passage, ventilation still remains possible, which is importantif tissue parts are entrained during tagging.

The female part 1 is for instance manufactured from a plastic with ahard, isolating quality such as ASA (acrylonitrile styrene acrylate), PC(polycarbonate) or the like. The male ear tag part 5 is generallymanufactured from a soft plastic material such as TPU (thermoplasticpolyurethane), such that the male ear tag part can be arranged inpassage 2 of the female ear tag part 1 without it being necessary toexert much force, and stem 12 of the male ear tag part 5 breaks when themale and female ear tag parts are pulled apart.

So that the ear tag retains an anvil effect after tagging in order toavoid crushing of the ear tissue, the diameter of passage 2 ispreferably smaller than or equal to the maximum diameter of thearrow-shaped element 6 of male part 5.

In the shown embodiment the female part has a substantially disc-shapedbody 13, wherein passage 2 is arranged substantially centrally ondisc-shaped body 13. The skilled person will however understand thatfemale part 1 can also be formed without disc body 13 and that manyother embodiments are possible. In the shown example this disc body 13is formed integrally with the rest of female part 1.

It is of further importance to limit the weight of ear tags as much aspossible. Ear tags are for instance arranged increasingly early on pigs,i.e. already on the day of birth or at 2 to 3 days old, whereby themaximum weight of the ear tag (male and female part together) may notexceed 4 grams according to Dutch standards. In the case of calves it isalso obligatory in many countries to tag within 3 days of birth. It isthus a prerequisite that the female ear tag part is thin-walled and usesa minimum of plastic components. Because the shown embodiment of thefemale part is manufactured integrally from a hard plastic material, andnot from two, three or more hard plastic components as in the prior artdevices, such low weights can be achieved.

FIG. 2 shows a number of other possible embodiments of the arrow-shapedelement of the male part which can be used for articles other than eartags. If this is for instance a basket or other product in which anidentification device must be fixed, it is in many cases not thenessential for the tip part to have a real tip. What is important is thattip part 10′ has a maximum diameter which is greater than the diameterof stem 12′, such that tip part 10′ has rear side 11′ against which theprotruding parts can engage, this in all positions of the male elementin the female element.

FIG. 5A shows a bottom view of female part 1 of FIG. 3, in which thethree protruding parts 8, 8′ and 8″ can be clearly seen. FIGS. 5B and 5Cshow bottom views of two other possible variants. The variant of FIG. 5Bhas two protruding parts 20, 20′, while the variant of FIG. 5C has fourprotruding parts 21, 21′, 21″, 21″′. Many other embodiments are thuspossible, wherein all that is important is that means are provided whichengage behind tip part 10 of arrow-shaped element 6.

FIG. 6A shows a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 3. This figureclearly shows closing part 9, which is formed from three legs 22, 22′,22″ which are connected at one end to the edge of passage 2 and cometogether at their other end in the centre of passage 2. In the top viewthe three protruding parts 8, 8′ and 8″ can be seen under legs 22, 22′and 22″.

FIGS. 6B and 6C show two other possible variants. The skilled personwill understand that many other embodiment variants of closing part 9are possible, wherein the design must be such that tip part 10 of thearrow-shaped element cannot be removed from the female part along therear end 4 of passage 2.

Further note that in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4 the perpendicularprojection onto a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction ofpassage 2 of the three protruding parts 8, 8′, 8″ and of closing part 9do not overlap each other. This has the advantage that the method formanufacturing the ear tag can be performed with simplified mouldcomponents, as will be further shown in the description of FIGS. 8-11.

If it is desired to manufacture female part 1 from a soft plasticmaterial, this can take place according to the prior art in a simplemanner as illustrated in FIGS. 7A-7C. Provided for this purpose is amould component 30 which has the size and shape of passage 2 of thefemale part. After injection moulding of the female ear tag part 1 it iseasy to remove the mould component 30, also referred to as a formingtip, wherein the protruding parts 31 at the front end of the passage ofdeformable soft plastic can fold aside so that mould component 30 can bepulled freely out of the ear tag. With the use of a hard material theprotruding parts no longer yield and these parts would break off ifmould component 30 were removed. The technique of FIGS. 7A-7C can thusnot be used for a female part of a hard material.

An embodiment of the method of the invention will now be illustratedwith reference to FIGS. 8A-8C. This method makes use of two mouldcomponents 40, 41 instead of the mould component 30 of FIGS. 7A-7C:

-   -   a first mould component 40 is provided with a size and shape        smaller than those of the passage 2 to be formed, wherein the        maximum cross-section S (see the hatched area in FIG. 12) is        here equal to the smallest cross-section of passage 2, i.e. the        cross-section of passage 2 at the position of protruding parts        8, 8′, 8″;    -   above the first mould component 40 is arranged a second mould        component 41 having a lower part 42 which, together with first        mould component 40, has substantially the form and the size of        passage 2, and having an upper part 43 which, together with the        upper side 44 of first mould component 40, bounds a space for        closing part 9;    -   after hard material has been arranged around these mould        components 40, 41 by injection moulding, as illustrated in FIGS.        8A-8C the first mould component can be removed along the front        end 3 of passage 2 and the second mould component 41 can be        removed along the rear end 4 of passage 2.

Additional mould components are of course also necessary to form thedisc body 13 of female part 1, but these are deemed known and will notbe further elucidated here. FIGS. 9-11 show further perspective views ofthe first and second mould components 40, 41.

Finally, the device according to the invention can be provided with anelectronic transponder (an RF-tag) which comprises an electroniccomponent and an antenna winding. In the case of an ear tag such atransponder is generally accommodated in female part 1, this such thatit is fully sealed off from the outside environment. This transpondermust after all be completely isolated against outside influences such aspig bites, sucking on the ear tags, and so on.

An embodiment of the method for arranging an electronic transponder in afemale part of an ear tag will now be described with reference to FIG.13. The electronic transponder comprises an electronic component 50 andan antenna winding 51. This transponder is placed on a surface of thefemale part 1 of hard plastic material wherein, in the variant of FIG.13, this surface is a rear side 52 of a disc body. In the shown examplethe disc-shaped surface is provided with a peripheral edge 53 and aninner edge 54 around passage 2. This side 52 is fully sprayed with ahard plastic material. The plastic to be sprayed can be the same as thatfrom which the first surface of the female part is made, or anotherplastic which forms a firm, protective connection to the first formedsurface. This spraying generally takes place under very high pressurefor maximum enclosure of the transponder, since it is a requirement fora stable communication with readers that chip 50 can move as little aspossible.

Before spraying plastic material around the transponder it shouldpreferably be secured in order to avoid displacement hereof during thespraying. This can take place in different ways, for instance byclamping, gluing or by covering with an optionally self-adhesive foilplate. According to yet another possibility, the transponder can be heldby pins during the spraying, which pins can be retracted during thefinal stage of the spraying. After spraying of side 52 an ear tag part 1is obtained which has the form of the female ear tag part as shown inFIG. 1B.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment variants described aboveon the basis of the figures, and the skilled person will appreciate thatmany modifications are possible without departing from the scope of theinvention, this scope being defined solely by the appended claims.

1. Device for identifying articles such as animals, comprising a malepart and a female part, which male part comprises an arrow-shapedelement and which female part is provided with a passage with a frontend and a rear end, wherein the arrow-shaped element can be insertedinto the passage along the front end, wherein the passage is providedclose to the front end with at least one protruding element,characterized in that the passage is partly closed close to the rear endby a closing-part, wherein the partly closed passage, including theprotruding element, are manufactured integrally from a hard material. 2.Device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hard material is a hardplastic.
 3. Device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the hard plastic isacrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA) or polycarbonate (PC).
 4. Device asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the female part weighs less than 3 g. 5.Device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the maximum diameter of thearrow-shaped element is equal to or greater than the diameter of thepassage.
 6. Device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the female part has asubstantially disc-shaped body, wherein the passage is arrangedsubstantially centrally on the disc-shaped body.
 7. Device as claimed inclaim 1, wherein an electronic transponder comprising at least oneelectronic component and an antenna winding is incorporated in thefemale part.
 8. Device as claimed in claim 1, wherein two or moreprotruding elements are arranged at the front end, spread regularlyalong the periphery of the passage.
 9. Device as claimed in claim 1,wherein the perpendicular projections of the protruding parts and of theclosing part onto a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction ofthe passage substantially do not overlap each other.
 10. Female part foruse in a device as claimed in claim
 1. 11. Method for manufacturing thefemale part of a device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the female partis manufactured by injection moulding using a multipart mould, themethod comprising: providing a first mould component with a size andshape smaller than those of the passage for forming, wherein thecross-section S is smaller than or equal to the smallest cross-sectionof the passage; arranging a second mould component above the first mouldcomponent, which second mould component has a lower part which, togetherwith the first mould component, has substantially the shape and size ofthe passage, and an upper part which, together with the top side of thefirst mould component, bounds a space for the closing part; arranging ahard material is arranged around these mould components by injectionmoulding in order to form the passage of the female part; removing thefirst mould component along the front end of the passage; removing thesecond mould component along the rear end of the passage.
 12. Method asclaimed in claim 11, wherein the first mould component resembles asclosely as possible the form of the passage, but wherein the at leastone protruding part and the first mould component, as seen in aprojection onto a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction ofthe passage, do not overlap each other.
 13. Method as claimed in claim11, wherein the lower part of the second mould component and the closingpart, as seen in a projection onto a plane perpendicular to thelongitudinal direction of the passage, do not overlap each, other. 14.Method as claimed in claim 11, wherein an electronic transpondercomprising at least one electronic component and an antenna winding isarranged prior to the injection moulding in a space which is bounded bythe multipart mould and into which hard material is subsequentlyarranged by injection moulding.
 15. Method as claimed in claim 14,wherein the electronic transponder is held by mould pins which retractduring the injection moulding.
 16. Method as claimed in claim 14 whereinthe female part has a substantially disc-shaped body, and wherein thepassage is arranged substantially centrally on the disc-shaped body,and, wherein the electronic transponder is arranged prior to injectionmoulding in a cavity for the disc-shaped body formed by mouldcomponents.
 17. Method for arranging an electronic transpondercomprising at least one electronic component and an antenna winding in apart of hard plastic material which is manufactured by injectionmoulding, wherein a plastic material is injected around the transponderin order to form a layer which fully encloses the transponder, whereinthis plastic material is chosen such that a firm connection to the hardplastic of the part results.
 18. Method as claimed in claim 17, whereinthe transponder is fixed, prior to the injection, against a surface ofthe part of hard plastic, whereafter the plastic material is injectedagainst this surface.
 19. Method as claimed in claim 18, wherein theplastic material is also a hard plastic.
 20. Method as claimed in claim18, wherein the plastic material is a soft plastic, such asthermoplastic polyurethane.
 21. Method as claimed in claim 17, whereinthe electronic transponder is held by mould pins which retract duringthe injection moulding of the part of hard plastic, such that the partis injected from a hard plastic in one phase.
 22. Method as claimed inclaim 17, wherein the part of a harder plastic has a substantiallydisc-shaped body which is provided substantially in the centre with apassage for receiving an arrow-shaped element, wherein the transponderis arranged in the disc-shaped body.
 23. Method as claimed in claim 22,wherein the surface for the transponder is disc-shaped and provided witha peripheral edge and inner edge, between which peripheral edge andinner edge the plastic material is injected.